Device for reducing piston slap in internal-combustion engines



Jan; 8, 1929. 1,698,074

" D. M. SOLENBERGER DEVICE FOR REDUCING rzsron SLAP m INTERNALCOMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Sept. 26, 1927 nunto a Jean /'Zv Salenbey erPatented Jan. 8, 11929.

UNITED sr TES PATENT OFFICE.

DEAN M. SOLENBERGEB OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE SIMPLEX PISTONRING COMPANY OF AMERICA, INC., A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

DEVICE FOR REDUCING PISTON SLA P IN INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed September 26,1927. Serial No. 222,095.

.ton together with means for exerting a preponderance of radial pressurebetween the ring and one side of the piston whereby said piston is heldin closer contact with the opposite side of the cylinder.

The present invention is a construction of this general character inwhich the preponderance of pressure as between the ring and one sideofthe piston is produced by. the use of an eccentric ring in connectionwith a cor rugated ribbon expander and located in a groove of uniformdepth in the piston as hereinafter set forth.

Inthe drawings: Figure 1 is a horizontal-section through an enginecylinder and'the piston.

Figure 2- is a vertical section therethrough showing portions inelevation.

In thepresent state of the art piston rings reinforced by corrugatedribbon expanders located in the ring groove have been extensively used.3 Where there is uniformity in the depth of the ring groove in thethickness of the ring and in the distributed radial pressure of theexpander, a loose fitting piston will be centered with respect to theaxis of the cylinder. This will notalways however, cf fectively preventpiston slap as the alternate pressure to one side or the other producedby the angularity of the rod may set up an oscillation which may bereinforced rather than retarded by the resiliency of the expander. If,however, there is a suflicient preponderance of pressure in onedirection, the slap.- ping of the piston may be eliminated;

With the present invention this preponderance of pressure is developedthrough the use of an eccentric ringtogether with a uniformly corrugatedribbon expanderl' vThering is so proportioned that on one side thecorrugations of the expander are but slightly deformed whereas on thediametrically opposite side these corrugations are highly compressed.Also the proportioning of the parts is such that they may be applied tothe ordinary ring groove of a piston without alteration. Thus as shown Ais the eccentric ring of pressure in one direction.

to exert a and B the corrugated ribbon ex ander both being located inthe groove 0 of t e piston D. 7

As shown in Figure 1 the portion of the ring A of greatest radialthickness occupies the greater portion of the space within the ringgroove so that the corrugations of-the expander B adjacent thereto arenearly fiattened out. Onthe other hand the corugations of. the expanderadjacent to the radially thin portion of the ring are but slightlydeformed. This results in pressing the piston in the direction indicatedby the arrow againstthe cylinder wall and with sufiicientpreponderancein pressure to lessen or en-- I tirely eliminate slap.

To increase the preponderance of pressure on one side of the piston Imay employ a plurality of rings similarly formedand with very thick andthin portions respectively in ahgnment with each other. Thus, as shownportion in'vertical alignment with the thick portion of the ring A andits thin portion '75 in Figure 2 the second ring A. has its thick alsoin vertical alignment with the thin portion of said ring A. To avoidalignment of the gaps produced by trans-splitting the ring I preferablyarrange these at a point inter- :mediate the thick and thin portions ofthe ring as indicated at E Figure 1. Thus rings of the same constructionbut reversed from bottom to top will bring these gaps E and E in. thetwo rings upon diametrically opposite sides of the piston.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a cylinder,.of a piston loosely fitting the sameand rovided with a ring groove, a corrugated ri bon ex pander located insaid groove and a transsplit ring in said groove having a greater radialthickness on one side than on the diametrically opposite side wherebysaid expander is tensioned toexert a preponderance 2. The combinationwith a cylinder, of a piston loosely fitting the same and provided witha ring groove, of uniform depth, a corrugated ribbon expander located insaid groove and a trans-s lit eccentric ring also said groove whereysaid expander is 1381181011611 preponderance of pressure on one side ofthe piston.

3. The combination- .with a cylinder, of a' piston loosely fitting thesame and provided with a plurality of ring grooves, corrugated ribbonexpanders in said grooves and trans- 1o ribbon expanders in said groovesand rings split rings in said grooves having greater radial thickness onone side than on the diametrically opposite side thereof and with thethick sides and the thin sides of the several rings respectively inalignment whereby said expander is tensioned to exert. preponderance ofpressure on one side.

4; The combination with a cylinder, of a piston loosely fitting the sameand provided with a plurality of ring grooves, corrugated in saidgrooves having a greater radial thickness on one side than on thediametrically opposite side, the thick and thin portions of the severalrings being respectively in vertical ali out and said rings beingtrans-split intermediate the thick and thin portions thereof with thesplits in adjacent rings out of vertical alignment.

In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature.

DEAN M. SOLENBERGER.

